Mail catcher for aeroplanes



MAIL CATCHER FOR AEROPLANES Filed May 29, 1919 4- Sheets-Shee t l I NV ENT [1B8 moms alimomsow Q DOIMLD Fl MUSE 'l. B HENDERfiQN AL MAIL CATCHER FOR AEROPLANES Filed May 29, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheei 2 INVENTUBS TIM/W15 B. HENDEHSlJ/Y v3 DON/1L0 P. NUSE AT UBNEY T. B. HENDERSON ET AL MAIL CATCHER FOR AEROPLANES Filed May 29, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet I NVEN TU H S moms B. HENDERSON 0,,

DOA 4L0 P. MUSE Patented den. 2(1),

estate I FFlQEL.

THOMAS B. HENDERSON AND DONALD E. MUSE, 01F JUNCTIUN CITY, ARKANSAS.

MAIL carcnnn ran anaormrens.

Application died May at, 1819. Serial lilo. 390,748

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS B. Hnnonn'- son and DONALD P. MUSE, citizens of the United States, residing at Junction City, in the county of Union and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful lmrovements in Mail Catchers for aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mail catchers for aeroplanes and in general consists of certain towers having suitable guiding wires, and a delivery means connected to the mail bag. It furthermore consists of a means whereby the aeroplane is not afiected by the sudden engagement with the mail bag.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as'wil be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereunto appended.

Figures 1 and 2 are views showing the construction on which the tower and guide wires may be positioned, the former showing an aeroplane in position for carrying 0d the mail bag from one of the towers,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a section of the tower platforms, the guide wires and mail bag, the latter being in proper posi tion with its equipment to engage with the cable from the aeroplane, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are detailed views of the attachment means connected with the mail bag.

Referring to the drawings like numerals designate like parts in the various drawings.

A and A are suitably constructed towers preferably made of metallic frame work and provided at their upper ends with platforms F and F These platforms are centrally spaced apart only by a few inches as will be noted more fully in Fig. 3 C and C are guide wires fastened at their inner ends in the cleats M and M, which cleats areattached respectively to the inner ends of the platforms F and B. These guide wires C and G extend forwardly from the towers A and A in a ii-shaped direction, their outer ends being secured to the upper ends of poles B and B. These poles l8 and B are supported in their upright position by l the vlatch holder N".

N presses on the top of the latch to hold it;

means of guy wires D and D The guy wires D which may be of any desirednumher, support the towers and platforms. I

Platform F is provided with a latch holder N". This latch holder is for holding the latch N. The" latch N is provided with a frame N and a keeper N which this end of the frame which frame is taken up by the cable. N is an arm fulcrumed at 13 which may be used in connection with (lne end of-this arm against the platform it, while the otherend of arm N is pressed upwardly by the spring N The cable X, after being let out from a drum on the airplane, is guided by the aviator so as to come between guide wires ll and C This cable is provided with the weight 0 at its lower end and a coil spring over said weight and'a disk over said coil spring. The springs of the disk are used on this cable so as to lessen the impact of the latch as it falls against the disk 0 In Figure 3 we show by an arrow the direction in which the cable would be travelling before engaging with the mail bag latch. In Fig. 5 we show an arrow as designating the direction the cable would travel, showing that it will hit the short angular end N of the keeper N When it hits this portion ofthe keeper the keeper will close, its outer end becoming engaged with the spring N". The cable will thus be en aged in position as shown in Fig. 4 and stalled on a building in the down town district thus doing away with the transportation to'and from suburbs of the city.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction of our invention will be ole rly understood, and" therefore a more exten ed explanation has been omitted.

What we claim as new, is,- In a mail catcher for aeroplanes comprising a pair of spaced towers, a latform- V-shape, the'ou'ter ends of said wires being supported by upright posts, a latch holder on the inner end of one of said platforms, and a latch ada ted to be connected to a mail bag and aving a suitable keeper hingedly connected at one end so as toc'lose when a cable suspended from an aero lane is drawn between said keeper and said atch.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in the presenceof two witnesses.

THOMAS B. HENDERSON. DONALD P. MUSE. Witnesses:

J. J. GRAFTON, M. CONLEY. 

